About Us
“[One Trunk Theatre is] the most wildly imaginative theatre company in Winnipeg”
– Terry MacLeod, CBC
Manitoba’s company for new, interdisciplinary theatre.
One Trunk was created in 2012 as a place to conduct theatre alchemy- mixing the ingredients and tinkering with the process in pursuit of new results- a new discovery of what theatre, and by association the human experience, can be. All of our work is new. One Trunk Theatre has changed and adapted the way we work while constantly asking our favourite question: what else can theatre be?
The purpose of One Trunk Theatre, is to seek the trunk where all artistic disciplines begin and through creation and collaboration, branch out to create innovative performance styles. One Trunk Theatre aims to offer creative spaces, processes and opportunities that allow artists to work to their full potential; and to expand the theatre art form, through collaboration and partnerships with other artists, students, community members and organizations. The process is as important as the product.
More resources for how we are embedding change in the company:
Read our communication about Anti-Racism here.
We use this Safer Spaces Policy to guide how we work.
Our Strategic Plan has been developed to help guide our company’s work through 2022.
Our Vision, Mission and Mandate
Our Vision:
One Trunk will be a home for artists to create new, innovative performance that challenges our perception of theatre, and by extension our lives. The theatre we make and support will be deeply rooted in collaboration and community practice. The company will lift up artists with a process-based, artist-driven and relationship-first approach.
Our Mission:
What else can theatre be?
One Trunk exists to ask this question, to support artistic investigation of it, and to inspire this curiosity in audiences
Our Mandate:
To create and facilitate the creation of new theatrical work that is interdisciplinary and is created collaboratively.
Our Values
Innovation
Our work must be new, it must ask the question “what else can theatre be?”
Artist Led
We support artistic investigation, offering opportunities for artists to thrive, grow and do their utmost. We believe that art making is revolutionary, and that artists are incredible beings who can achieve anything, when they are given what they need to do their art.
Collaboration
Our company and all projects are rooted in, and driven by collaboration. We believe the heart of successful collaboration is being in good relationship- with other artists, with the community, with ourselves, and between administrator and artist.
Professionalism
Being an artist is one of the hardest jobs in the world. We believe artists are exceptional, should be compensated, and should be compensated well since our work requires our full participation- body, mind and spirit. We pay our artists, and advocate for artists to be compensated and recognized as the amazing professionals they are.
Process Driven
How we create is equal or more important than what we create. We devise creative processes that are unique to each projects’ goals, and community. We will always fight for artists and what their project needs most.
Community
We are part of a larger community- of artists, of people living on Treaty 1 Land, of living human beings. We want to support and be responsive to the needs of those we are in relationship with. Our projects should contribute to the betterment of our community. We will not use the power of theatre to harm, oppress, or divide; rather we will use it to uplift, question, and unite. We want to grow our community through art making and relationship building so that we can support and learn from a diversity of artists and audiences; bring theatre experiences to the unexpected audience; expand our reach and understanding of our neighbours and our place in the world.
